BrightFocus Foundation, in recognition of January's Glaucoma Awareness Month, is offering free resources in English and Spanish to encourage comprehensive, dilated-pupil eye exams every one to two years for those at higher risk for this disease. That includes individuals with a family history of glaucoma, persons over the age of 60-particularly Hispanics-and African Americans over age 40.
"The terrible effects of this disease can be reduced through early detection," said BrightFocus President and CEO Stacy Pagos Haller. "We want to get the word out to at-risk groups: eye exams can literally save your sight."
Free BrightFocus resources include:
Glaucoma refers to a group of eye diseases that eventually lead to optic nerve damage, which can result in vision loss and, if not detected, complete blindness. A growing segment of the Baby Boom generation is now over age 60 and thus more at risk for the disease. In the U.S., glaucoma is three to four times more common among African Americans and Hispanic populations than among non-Hispanic Caucasians. In middle age, African Americans are 15 times more likely than Caucasians to experience blindness from the disease.
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